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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. rock — music
  3. march — the month
  4. present — there
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. root — of a word
  12. present — a gift
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. degree — from a university
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com